VERTICAL TAKE-OFF AND LANDING AIRCRAFT

1 . A vertical take-off and landing aircraft comprising:

a fuselage;

at least one wing connected to the fuselage;

a plurality of rotors connected to the at least one wing for providing lift for vertical take-off and landing of the aircraft; and

a plurality of proprotors connected to the at least one wing and tiltable between lift configurations for providing lift for vertical take-off and landing of the aircraft and propulsion configurations for providing forward thrust to the aircraft.

2 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of rotors are rearward of the at least one wing and the plurality of proprotors are forward of the at least one wing.

3 . The aircraft of claim 2 , comprising a plurality of booms mounted to the at least one wing, each boom mounting one rotor and one proprotor to the at least one wing.

4 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein a first proprotor is forward of a second proprotor that is adjacent to the first proprotor.

5 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein a first proprotor is mounted at a higher position on the aircraft than a second proprotor that is adjacent to the first proprotor.

6 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein each rotor has only two blades.

7 . The aircraft of claim 6 , wherein each rotor is configured to fix the two blades in position during forward flight.

8 . The aircraft of claim 6 , wherein each proprotor has greater than two blades.

9 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein a first rotor of the plurality of rotors is canted relative to a second rotor of the plurality of rotors such that a rotational axis of the first rotor is non-parallel with a rotational axis of the second rotor.

10 . The aircraft of claim 9 , wherein a cant angle of any rotor or proprotor is such that a respective burst disc cannot intersect with passengers or a pilot.

11 . The aircraft of claim 9 , wherein a cant angle of any rotor or proprotor is such that a respective burst disc cannot intersect with any flight-critical component.

12 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein a first proprotor of the plurality of proprotors is canted relative to a second proprotor of the plurality of proprotors such that a rotational axis of the first proprotor is non-parallel with a rotational axis of the second proprotor.

13 . The aircraft of claim 1 , further comprising a control system configured to actively alter a tilt of at least one proprotor to generate yawing moments during hover.

14 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein attack angles of blades of the proprotors are collectively adjustable during flight.

15 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein propulsion is provided entirely by the proprotors.

16 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein a range of tilt of the proprotors is greater than ninety degrees.

17 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the at least one wing provides the lift required during cruising.

18 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the at least one wing is a high wing mounted to an upper side of the fuselage.

19 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the at least one wing has control surfaces.

20 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein all of the rotors and proprotors are mounted to the at least one wing.

21 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the aircraft is electrically powered.

22 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the aircraft is manned.

23 . A vertical take-off and landing aircraft comprising:

a fuselage;

a pair of wings coupled to opposite sides of the fuselage;

a plurality of lift propeller assemblies coupled to the pair of wings, wherein the plurality of lift propeller assemblies are configured to create a vertical lift;

a plurality of tilting propeller assemblies configured to move between a vertical lift position and a forward flight position; and

a control system configurable to control the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies between the vertical lift position and the forward flight position.

24 . The aircraft of claim 23 , further comprising:

one or more battery units including a plurality of battery cells configured to power the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies and the plurality of lift propeller assemblies.

25 . The aircraft of claim 23 , further comprising:

a tailplane in form of a V-tail coupled to a rear end of the fuselage.

26 . The aircraft of claim 23 , wherein the pair of wings are coupled to the fuselage in a high-wing configuration.

27 . The aircraft of claim 23 , wherein the plurality of lift propeller assemblies are mounted in a fixed position relative to the pair of wings to move the aircraft in a vertical direction.

28 . The aircraft of claim 27 , wherein one or more of the plurality of lift propeller assemblies are configurable to stop operating during a forward flight of the aircraft.

29 . The aircraft of claim 27 , wherein each of the plurality of lift propeller assemblies comprise an electric motor-driven rotor.

30 . The aircraft of claim 27 , wherein at least three lift propeller assemblies are coupled to each of the pair of wings.

31 . The aircraft of claim 23 , wherein the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies are coupled to at least one of the pair of wings via one or more tilting mechanisms.

32 . The aircraft of claim 31 , wherein at least three tilting propeller assemblies are coupled to each of the pair of wings.

33 . The aircraft of claim 23 , wherein a combined number of lift propeller assemblies and tilting propeller assemblies is at least 12 .

34 . The aircraft of claim 23 , further comprising:

a plurality of support structures coupled to an underside of the pair of wings, wherein a lift propeller assembly among the plurality of lift propeller assemblies is coupled to a first end of each support structure.

35 . The aircraft of claim 34 , wherein at least one of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies is coupled to a second end of a first support structure among the plurality of support structures via a tilting mechanism.

36 . The aircraft of claim 34 , wherein a tilting propeller assembly among the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies is coupled to a second end of each support structure.

37 . The aircraft of claim 34 , wherein a second lift propeller assembly is coupled to a second end of at least one support structure among the plurality of support structures.

38 . The aircraft of claim 23 , wherein the plurality of lift propeller assemblies are provided at a tailing edge of the pair of wings and the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies are provided at a leading edge of the pair of wings.

39 . The aircraft of claim 23 , wherein the control system is configurable to:

receive a flight instruction;

control one or more of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies between the vertical lift position and the forward flight position based on the flight instruction; and

actively control the one or more of the tilting propeller assemblies.

40 . The aircraft of claim 39 , wherein the control system is configurable to:

control the position of the tilting propeller assemblies automatically.

41 . The aircraft of claim 39 , wherein the control system is configurable to:

control a first tilting propeller assembly and a second tilting propeller assembly among the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies independently from each other.

42 . The aircraft of claim 39 , wherein the control system is configurable to control:

at least a subset of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies simultaneously.

43 . An aircraft comprising:

a fuselage;

a pair of wings coupled to opposite sides of the fuselage;

a plurality of tilting propeller assemblies coupled to the pair of wings, wherein the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies are configured to move between a vertical lift position and a forward flight position, wherein the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies are configured to create a vertical lift when in the vertical lift position;

one or more battery units including a plurality of battery cells configured to power the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies; and

a control system configured to control the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies between the vertical lift position and the forward flight position.

44 . The aircraft of claim 43 , further comprising:

a plurality of support structures coupled to an underside of the pair of wings, wherein at least one of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies is coupled to an end of a first support structure among the plurality of support structures via a tilting mechanism.

45 . The aircraft of claim 43 , further comprising:

a plurality of support structures coupled to an underside of the pair of wings, wherein a tilting propeller assembly among the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies is coupled to an end of each support structure.

46 . The aircraft of claim 43 , wherein the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies are coupled to a leading edge of the pair of wings via one or more tilting mechanisms.

47 . The aircraft of claim 43 , wherein at least three tilting propeller assemblies are coupled to each of the pair of wings.

48 . The aircraft of claim 43 , wherein the control system is configurable to control a first tilting propeller assembly and a second tilting propeller assembly among the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies independently from each other.

49 . The aircraft of claim 43 , wherein the control system is configurable to control at least a subset of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies simultaneously.

50 . The aircraft of claim 43 , wherein the control system is configurable to control a position of the tilting propeller assemblies automatically.

51 . The aircraft of claim 43 , further comprising:

a tailplane in form of a V-tail coupled to a rear end of the fuselage.

52 . A method for controlling one or more tilting propeller assemblies of an aircraft, the method comprising:

receiving, by a control system coupled to an aircraft, a flight instruction, wherein the aircraft is configured for vertical takeoff and landing;

controlling, by the control system, one or more of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies between a vertical lift position and a forward flight position based on the flight instruction; and

actively controlling, by the control system, the one or more of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies.

53 . The method of claim 52 , further comprising:

controlling, by the control system, a first tilting propeller assembly and a second tilting propeller assembly among the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies independently from each other.

54 . The method of claim 52 , further comprising:

controlling, by the control system, at least a subset of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies simultaneously.

55 . The method of claim 52 , further comprising:

controlling, by the control system, the position of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies automatically.

56 . The method of claim 52 , wherein the flight instruction is a takeoff instruction, wherein controlling the one or more of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies comprises:

controlling the one or more of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies to the vertical lift position.

57 . The method of claim 52 , wherein the flight instruction is a hover instruction or a landing instruction, and wherein controlling the one or more of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies comprises:

controlling the one or more of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies to the vertical lift position.

58 . The method of claim 52 , wherein the flight instruction is an instruction to switch to forward flight, and wherein controlling the one or more of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies comprises:

controlling the one or more of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies to the forward flight position.

59 . The method of claim 58 , further comprising:

controlling one or more of a plurality of lift propeller assemblies to stop operating during the forward flight of the aircraft.

60 . A vertical take-off and landing aircraft comprising:

a fuselage;

a pair of wings coupled to opposite sides of the fuselage;

a plurality of rotors connected to the at least one wing for providing lift for vertical take-off and landing of the aircraft; and

a plurality of proprotors connected to the at least one wing and tiltable between lift configurations for providing lift for vertical take-off and landing of the aircraft and propulsion configurations for providing forward thrust to the aircraft; and

a control system configurable to control tilts of the plurality of proprotors between the lift configurations and the propulsion configurations.

61 . The aircraft of claim 60 , further comprising:

at least one battery configured to power the plurality of proprotors and the plurality of rotors.

62 . The aircraft of claim 60 , further comprising:

stabilizers in form of a V coupled to a rear end of the fuselage.

63 . The aircraft of claim 60 , wherein the pair of wings are coupled to the fuselage in a high-wing configuration.

64 . The aircraft of claim 60 , wherein the plurality of rotors are mounted in a fixed position relative to the pair of wings to move the aircraft in a vertical direction.

65 . The aircraft of claim 64 , wherein one or more of the plurality of rotors are configured to be locked during a forward flight of the aircraft.

66 . The aircraft of claim 64 , wherein each of the plurality of rotors is electrically driven.

67 . The aircraft of claim 64 , wherein at least three rotors are coupled to each of the pair of wings.

68 . The aircraft of claim 60 , wherein the plurality of proprotors are coupled to at least one of the pair of wings by one or more tilting couplers.

69 . The aircraft of claim 68 , wherein at least three proprotors are coupled to each of the pair of wings.

70 . The aircraft of claim 60 , wherein a combined number of rotors and proprotors is at least 12 .

71 . The aircraft of claim 60 , further comprising:

a plurality of support structures coupled to an underside of the pair of wings, wherein a rotor among the plurality of rotors is coupled to a first end of each support structure.

72 . The aircraft of claim 71 , wherein at least one of the proprotors is coupled to a second end of a first support structure among the plurality of support structures via a tilting coupler.

73 . The aircraft of claim 71 , wherein a proprotor among the plurality of proprotors is coupled to a second end of each support structure.

74 . The aircraft of claim 71 , wherein a second rotor is coupled to a second end of at least one support structure among the plurality of support structures.

75 . The aircraft of claim 60 , wherein the plurality of rotors are provided at a trailing edge of the pair of wings and the plurality of proprotors are provided at a leading edge of the pair of wings.

76 . The aircraft of claim 60 , wherein the control system is configurable to:

receive a pilot command; and

control one or more of the plurality of proprotors between the vertical lift position and the forward flight position based on the pilot command; and

actively control the one or more of the plurality of proprotors.

77 . The aircraft of claim 76 , wherein the control system is configurable to:

control the position of the proprotors automatically.

78 . The aircraft of claim 76 , wherein the control system is configurable to:

control a first proprotor and a second proprotor among the plurality of proprotors independently from each other.

79 . The aircraft of claim 76 , wherein the control system is configurable to control:

the plurality of proprotors simultaneously.

80 . An aircraft comprising:

a fuselage;

a pair of wings coupled to opposite sides of the fuselage;

a plurality of proprotors connected to the at least one wing and tiltable between lift configurations for providing lift for vertical take-off and landing of the aircraft and propulsion configurations for providing forward thrust to the aircraft;

at least one battery configured to power the plurality of proprotors; and

a control system configurable to control tilts of the plurality of proprotors between the lift configurations and the propulsion configurations.

81 . The aircraft of claim 80 , further comprising:

a plurality of support structures coupled to an underside of the pair of wings, wherein at least one of the plurality of proprotors is coupled to an end of a first support structure among the plurality of support structures via a tilting coupler.

82 . The aircraft of claim 80 , further comprising:

a plurality of support structures coupled to an underside of the pair of wings, wherein a proprotor among the plurality of proprotors is coupled to an end of each support structure.

83 . The aircraft of claim 80 , wherein the plurality of proprotors are coupled to a leading edge of the pair of wings via one or more tilting couplers.

84 . The aircraft of claim 80 , wherein at least three proprotors are coupled to each of the pair of wings.

85 . The aircraft of claim 80 , wherein the control system is configurable to control a first proprotor and a second proprotor among the plurality of proprotors independently from each other.

86 . The aircraft of claim 80 , wherein the control system is configurable to control the plurality of proprotors simultaneously.

87 . The aircraft of claim 80 , wherein the control system is configurable to control a position of the proprotors automatically.

88 . The aircraft of claim 80 , further comprising:

stabilizers in form of a V coupled to a rear end of the fuselage.

89 . A method for controlling one or more proprotors of an aircraft, the method comprising:

receiving, by a control system of an aircraft, a pilot command, wherein the aircraft is configured for vertical takeoff and landing;

controlling, by the control system, one or more of the plurality of proprotors between a lift configuration and a propulsion configuration based on the pilot command; and

actively controlling the one or more of the plurality of proprotors.

90 . The method of claim 89 , further comprising:

controlling, by the control system, a first proprotor and a second proprotor among the plurality of proprotors independently from each other.

91 . The method of claim 89 , further comprising:

controlling, by the control system, the plurality of proprotors simultaneously.

92 . The method of claim 89 , further comprising:

controlling, by the control system, control the position of the proprotors automatically.

93 . The method of claim 89 , wherein controlling the one or more of the plurality of proprotors comprises:

controlling the one or more of the plurality of proprotors to the lift configuration during takeoff.

94 . The method of claim 89 , wherein controlling the one or more of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies comprises:

controlling the one or more of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies to the vertical lift position during hover or landing.

95 . The method of claim 89 , wherein controlling the one or more of the plurality of proprotors comprises:

controlling the one or more of the plurality of proprotors to the propulsion configuration when transitioning to forward flight.

96 . The method of claim 95 , further comprising:

controlling one or more of a plurality of rotors to lock during the forward flight of the aircraft.